Tag Archives: Skill

The lay-up is the highest percentage shot outside of the dunk. It is one of the very first skills that young players will attempt, and often is the stuff of nightmares for senior coaches whose teams can squander a certain two points in a moment with a poor attempt. The basic fundamentals around how to teach a lay-up have not changed, but within this simplicity of design is where many finer points of the technique are hidden.

One of the important points to do with the technique of a lay-up is body positioning. The body of the offensive player has a number of important effects upon the execution of the overall skill. When attacking the basket a player’s position and control can be affected by the defender, driving lane chosen and angle to the basketball hoop. As a player comes within one dribble of the hoop, prior to picking the ball up (and maybe taking two steps), they should start to improve their body positioning.

Body Position Helps keep all other Moving Parts in Check

When performing a lay-up if a player maintains their chest facing towards the basket they will ensure that their legs, arms and head are in the best possible position for the correct performance of a textbook technique. It is often when players allow themselves to rotate their torso that they start to lose balance and control which results in a harder, more difficult shot being created.

Poor body control leads to off-balance shots, loss of power and bad shots being taken for no other reason than a player working themselves into a poor situation. By maintaining or correcting their body position during a drive to the basket a player can be more effective with their attempted lay-up.

Maintaining a Square Body Position gives Options

When performing a lay-up in front the basket the principle still remains that a player should try to maintain their chest facing towards the basket. This is because if the player keeps their chest square to the front of the basketball hoop once picking the ball up they can then move to either side of the basket as needed.

Correcting body position on the last dribble of a drive to the basket improves vision additionally, which always spells trouble for the defence. When driving from the top of the key this means the help defence can be recognised earlier and passes into areas such as the low post, short or long corners can be performed quicker and with better technique.

Here we can see how the offensive player keeps their body between the ball and the defender while performing a lay-up. As can be seen from the picture if the defender is on the hip or inline with the ball handler then there is no other option but for a foul to be committed when trying to stop the shot (Photo Source: Danny Bollinger)

Good Body Position Separates the Defender from the Ball

Once the ball has been picked up and one or two steps are being utilised for the lay-up. Body positioning is then important in separating the defender from the ball. If the dribbler on the drive is able to gain an advantage where the defender is now on the offensive players hip. The offensive player must try to keep the defender on the opposite side of their body to where the ball is.

This forces the defender to often lunge, or at the very least attempt to reach for the ball across the body of the offensive player. This readily results in a defender committing a foul.

Good Body Positioning Helps with Managing Contact

Basketball by its nature is a semi-contact sport. This means that while contact is not meant to be forceful, there is still the premise in the game for contact to happen within the rules of the sport. Having good body positioning at the time of the last dribble or during the two steps of a lay-up will help a player in dealing with this possible, and likely defensive contact. Good body position will inherently promote balance and control, these elements make the offensive player more capable of being able to deal with significant contact while still attempting a shot.

Perfecting the technique behind a lay-up is one of the truly great achievements for any player participating in basketball. Taking the time to breakdown and analysis the key areas of the technique will aid in better outcomes for both junior and senior players.

The 1 v 1 Speed Dribble Drill is a simple, yet effective activity for helping players to develop their own ability to advance a ball up the court at pace. Too often players struggle to control the basketball when dribbling once they achieve a certain speed. By practicing this technique within the 1 v 1 Speed Dribble Drill players will develop more confidence and competence in performing this very under-trained skill.

The drill starts with two lines of players on opposite sides of the baseline. The offensive player (One) starts with the ball.

1 v 1 Speed Dribble Drill Diagram 1

On the One’s dribble the defence (Two) is allowed to become live and engage the dribbler.

The objective of the 1 v 1 Speed Dribble Drill is for the offensive player to dribble the length of the court and make a scoring shot.

The defender simply tries to prevent the offensive player from scoring.

Points of Emphasis

The dribbler should focus on keeping the ball out in front of the body while dribbling; so to prevent kicking or tripping on the ball

The dribbler must look to get up to speed as soon as possible; players should start in a low stance, ready to explode off the mark

The defender should attempt to wedge in between the dribbler and their line to the basket; this will effectively create a harder angle for the shot

Remember: the aim of the drill is to be able to perform the technique of a speed dribble as fast as an individual’s ability allows. The 1 v 1 Speed Dribble Drill is not about just scoring

Variation

For younger players the ability to develop the skill of a speed dribble can be hampered by the introduction of defence within the activity. If a player or team is struggling to master the technique initially, then one variation to the 1 v 1 Speed Dribble Drill is to simply remove the defence from the drill. A competitive environment can still be maintained through the use of limiting the number of dribbles a player has to reach the other end of the floor and perform a lay-up, or timing a player so they are working against their personal best with each repetition.

Once players start to become more and more successful in reaching the other end of the floor at pace. Increasing the difficulty can continue to challenge a individual. One option for the 1 v 1 Speed Dribble Drill is to simply add a shot clock. Allowing players only five seconds within which to make a shot will add some additional pressure and drive the players further along in their development.

Another option for the 1 v 1 Speed Dribble Drill is to play up and back. If the defender steals the ball or secures possession without their being a score then a handy variation is to allow the defender to now break back and dribble back to the starting end of the floor for a lay-up. This is useful for those teams finding that they have gaps in the different phases of the game because players are taking too long to switch between offense and defence while on the floor.

The 1 v 1 Speed Dribble Drill is easy to set-up and a high number of repetitions can be executed in a small amount of time. When utilised as a conditioning drill as well the 1 v 1 Speed Dribble Drill provides a very useful option for many teams focusing on the technique of speed dribbling, or fast break and transition phases of offense.

The Lay-up is one of the most widely used skills in basketball. For most players this is their very first technique learnt when attempting to score. The lay-up forms one of the most fundamental skills developed in basketball and so therefore it is often seen as a point of frustration when junior, senior or elite players fail to perform the skill both during training and in games.

The problem is that no one scoring technique will ever be perfect and all skills across the gamut of basketball will need to be rehearsed, broken down, or re-taught from time to time to ensure they continue to be performed at an acceptable level of competence. The lay-up though can have some inherent issues when teaching and then performing. Some common reasons are defined below…

Poor Technique

When players are not well-drilled, they can become very complacent when going through the motions of performing skills. The skill does not need to be simple for this happen, but can be very complex, and still this issue persists. Standards during practice need to be set for the team and then monitored for each individual. Allowing slow repetitions or “loose” technique only serves to create bad habits for players. The lay-up will be a skill that players often become complacent in performing because of its often overuse in similar situations.

Lack of Depth or Confidence in Skill Set

There are a number of different lay-up techniques that can be taught and utilised by a player during a competitive training sessions drills or a game. If a player does not have knowledge or confidence with these various techniques, they will never utilise them and continue to force bad shots, because in their mind they have no other option. For example if a player is looking to perform a lay-up on the right side of the basket and the defender stops this option, if the player does not possess the ability to perform a reverse lay-up on the left hand side, they will more than likely still try to force the right hand lay-up or another poor shot.

Poor exposure of players to a variety of angles in which to practice their lay-up will lead to a limited development of the skill and a lack of ability to convert in games (Photo Source: Wm Chamberlain)

Mind Numbing Repetition

Drills can have a very beneficial effect for players when they are starting to learn new techniques and skills. Well thought out drills can provide a great opportunity for skills like the lay-up to be progressively developed, refined and performed.

However, many drills do feature similar aspects such as where the drill starts and the angle they finish at the basketball hoop. This causes players to become accustom to laying the ball up from a particular position or within a certain angle. This is obviously not the case in games and coaches should take notice of the drills they regularly use and look for different ways to finish the scoring movement so players gain variety and experience from other angles when trying to perform a lay-up.

Game Pace

Probably the most common reason across many errors is the poor rehearsal of players during training sessions of skills at a game pace. Players should be encouraged to progress from being introduced to a skill, to attempting to perform the skill at game pace as quickly as possible.

Playing through the Contact

Many developing players struggle with the concept of basketball being a semi-contact sport but the contact around the keyway and to the basket often being heavy at different times. This can cause player to shy away from this contact for fear of being hurt. This in turn makes players adjust their technique causing issues.

The use of bump pads can be a very useful transitioning piece of equipment in helping players become used to contact before moving into live defensive situations. Players can also be taught in these situations not only how to play through the contact, but implement more advanced techniques to help use the bump.

The next stage of development is to incorporate “live” defence into each drill during the final stages of instruction.

Game Play

Players need opportunities to be able to play in competitive or game like situations. These can range from 1 on 1 to 5 on 5 scenarios. All of these options are beneficial at some level. A coach must be active in providing feedback about made as well as missed baskets.

In competitive situations, it is important to realise in games that only in a few times will a player be truly isolated (especially when playing from the perimeter). The use of 1 v 2 situations where help defence is triggered similar to game situations will be most beneficial from helping players in trying to improve their individual offense, including the lay-up.

The lay-up will provide players with great satisfaction during their early stages of development and become a staple for more experienced players across their careers in basketball. Taking the time to focus on the points mentioned above will serve players to develop a better-rounded and more complete game as well as improving their lay-up technique and performance.

Here we can see the Push Pass technique. The arm closest to the intend passing target pushing through the ball, while the off-hand guides the ball helping control (Photo Source: Marianne O’Leary)

The Push Pass is one of the most functional passing techniques in basketball. Especially useful in the half court, the strength of the push pass is in the ability to keep the ball away from the defender when passing.

The push pass has some drawbacks though. One of the most significant is that it focuses on using just one arm to direct the pass. This can be more difficult to control and misdirection is a common issue. This is especially the case in high-speed and pressure situations where players are trying to pass the ball quickly and their technique is not perfect.

Another common issue with the performance of the push pass is the ability of players to generate power. Because the push pass focuses on one arm generating a large part of the force in the pass, young players or those inexperienced with using the pass can sometimes find generating enough power difficult.

Many of the issues faced in using, and perfecting the push pass lie in the refinement of a players technique. These focus points on technique include the following:

Start the Push Pass from a Triple Threat Stance; in all passing situations, and just in general, when practicing different techniques have players start in a Triple Threat Stance so they become familiar with the habit

Players should Step towards the Intend Target; to help start the powerful movement of a push pass players should utilise good footwork by stepping towards the intended target to help build momentum

Maintain low stance during step; at no time should the step result in the legs of the player becoming full straightened. Legs should maintain some bend at the knees

During the Step the Ball moves up the side of the body to the Chest; this movement will force the elbow of the arm on which the ball is to move behind the line of the body. This places the arm behind the ball ready to push through the ball to execute the pass. This action will also see the wrist ‘cocked’ behind the ball with the fingers of the hand pointing up

The Off Hand should remain on the Ball; the offhand should remain on the ball to help with stability and control of the ball

The Ball side Arm now pushes through the Ball; the arm should extend so there is a straight line is created from the shoulder, elbow wrist and middle finger all pointing at the intended target

As the Arm fully extended, the Wrist is ‘snapped’ to put backspin on the ball; the ‘cocked’ wrist should help generate the backspin desired as the wrist is flicked in a downward motion at the end of the arm extension

The push pass comes into its own during pass progression and reversal around the three-point line. The ability for a player to receive a ball on one side of their body, rip the ball to the other side, and then pass while still maintaining solid ball protection is vital in high pressure situations. As players mature and develop their technique, coordination and strength and the push pass can be used more confidently in the full court.

When thinking about on-ball screens one aspect which can be glossed over is the ball handlers Pivot Foot. The pivot foot plays a very significant part in the development of different opportunities involving an on-ball screen. Choosing to adopt one philosophy over another in regards to what foot is to be pivoted on, will have different benefits. Having a team that can interchange which foot to pivot on will help in adapting to defensive play and exposing weaknesses within an opposition.

Many coaches when starting out will usually develop a philosophy around which foot is to be pivoted on when using an on-ball screen. This is often glazed over and automatically adopted from one coach to another as a standard teaching point. However, changing the pivot foot when using an on-ball screen brings a greater range and variety to a team’s style of play.

Varying the Pivot Foot can be helpful in splitting defenders allowing for offensive opportunities under a screen, instead of over it (Photo Source: University of the Fraser Valley)

The default technique commonly implemented is for the pivot foot to be to opposite where the screen is set. For example if setting an on-ball screen from the middle of the floor at a wing position. The ball handler would be expected to pivot on their low side foot (the foot closest to the baseline). This helps to facilitate an explosive push off the back leg and perform a stronger drive over the screen and towards the middle of the floor.

As a negative thought, this technique then makes the counter move of ripping the ball through and driving towards the baseline a slower and as a consequence less effective. Additionally, a defensive strategy in this situation is to try to push the ball handler high and off the on-ball screen by having the defender guarding the screen lift early so the dribbler cannot move over the hip of the defender and turn the corner into the keyway. The on-ball defender will also try to move over the screen and so overplay the middle of the floor.

What happens if we look at this scenario with the ball handler pivoting on the high side foot?

If the pivot foot for the wing player is on the high side (foot closest to the halfway line) then some interesting tactical options now become more readily available. One advantage is the benefit for the ball handler in driving baseline. The ball defender will have to guard the perimeter player more in front/straight up or risk being split away from their defensive counterpart guarding the screener. The on-ball defender will no longer be able to overplay the high side of the dribbler. This will also see the on-ball defender needing to react more strongly to jab steps towards the baseline or fail to defend the baseline drive.

A weakness to a high side pivot foot is the effect of essentially slowing down the use of the on-ball screen, as the dribbler has to step across their body. This can hamper some limited dribbling players, as this also has the effect of closing the player’s vision partially over their shoulder, as they have to rotate their hips and torso more to create the necessary effective screening angle.

Being able to use either foot as the pivot provides a more flexible on-ball screen offense. Similar to teaching a range of options for guarding an on-ball screen, using the screen effectively from a high or low pivot foot makes a team that much more effective against a range of opposition tactics. Changing the pivot foot when playing against teams just makes defending that more challenging and allows and offense to use an on-ball screen by either going over or under through different reads.